In the latest multi-channel Contact Centers, the Agent's personal computing (PC) desktop, particularly the graphical images present of the Agent's graphical user interface has become a very congested space. Programs to control the presentation of customer contacts, agent status controls, agent performance data, and media specific controls must all compete with the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications for space on the desktop. Some media channels such as email and web collaboration with chat, take substantial desktop space to run. Although it is possible to expand and contract windows and/or to overlay one window with another when needed, these extra manual steps take valuable agent time and slow down call handling.
Also, many multi-channel Contact Centers currently utilize multiple CRM Applications in order to manage separate voice, e-mail, chat, etc. applications. Having multiple CRM Applications can severely clutter an Agent's PC desktop. An Agent may also be required to utilize more than one CRM Application at one time. Requiring the Agent to manually launch and use independent applications at various points within a task flow requires agent training, and introduces an opportunity for user error. Even the mental operations of deciding to launch or not launch an application introduces a mental operation that takes measurable time for an agent to perform. Further, modern Contact Center graphical user interface arrangements utilizing multiple CRM Applications tend to crowd an Agent's PC desktop so that the desktop does not include space for applications that are separate and unmanaged by the Contact Center such as a corporate e-mail and/or calendar application such as Outlook™, or any other application that is not managed by the Contact Center.
What is needed is a Graphical User Interface having a feature of visual space management that exposes a single CRM Application at the appropriate time to efficiently manage an Agent's PC desktop while also allowing the Agent access to applications not managed by the Contact Center. What is also needed is a Graphical User Interface having a feature of visual management space that exposes a CRM Application at the appropriate time that it is needed in an Agent's Workflow.